Preachers/Doctor Who
| image = | imagewidth = 225px | aliases = | continuity = Doctor Who | type = | status = | leaders = Ricky Smith; Mickey Smith | members = Jake Simmonds; Angela Price | allies = Tenth Doctor; Rose Tyler; Pete Tyler | enemies = John Lumic; Cybermen | 1st appearance = "Rise of the Cybermen" }} The Preachers are a fictional group of freedom fighters featured in the 2005 revival series of the British science fiction series Doctor Who. They first appeared in the fifth episode of series two, "Rise of the Cybermen", as well as the following episode, "The Age of Steel". Description & History The Preachers were a small band of civilian volunteers who operated out of London, England on Earth of a parallel reality. One of the leaders of the group was a young man named Ricky Smith. Ricky, as well as his allies Jake Simmonds and Angela Price formed a coalition to fight up against the oppressive corporate influence of industrialist/inventor John Lumic and his company Cybus Industries. They were one of the first to ferret out the truth that agents of Cybus were abducting homeless people and taking them to a processing plant in Battersea, where they were being converted into brainwashed Cybermen. When the Cybermen began to march on London, the Preachers reluctantly accepted some uncommon allies in the form of the time traveling Doctor and his companions, Rose Tyler and Mickey Smith - the latter of whom was the counterpart to Ricky Smith from a parallel world. Doctor Who: Rise of the Cybermen During their fight against the Cybermen, both Ricky Smith and Angela Price were killed in action. Mickey Smith took up the role of his counterpart and Jake Simmonds and he stormed the Cybus Industries processing plant. At the Doctor's urging, Ricky hacked into the company's computer systems and shut down the transmission stream that was controlling the Cybermen. Ricky destroyed the facility, and Jake and he managed to escape aboard a zeppelin with the Doctor, Rose and a man named Pete Tyler. John Lumic, now known as the Cyber-Controller died in the conflagration. After everything settled down, the Doctor and Rose prepared to leave this reality bound for their own dimension. Mickey however elected to stay behind. Although Lumic was dead, Cybus Industries still existed and the threat of future Cybermen attacks loomed on the horizon. Mickey felt that it was his destiny to help in the fight against them. Armed with nothing more than a beat up van, Ricky and Jake set upon the next leg in their ongoing battle against the Cybermen - Paris, France. Doctor Who: The Age of Steel Members Ricky Smith Ricky Smith lived in the Chelsea district of London, England on a parallel Earth. He was that world's counterpart to Mickey Smith from a different timeline. Unlike Mickey, Ricky was tough, no-nonsense and gifted with a sense of purpose. In this reality, Ricky was the son of Jackson Smith and lived with his grandmother, Rita-Anne Smith. He was the leader of a group of freedom fighters who called themselves the Preachers - so-named because of their claim to seek out the "gospel truth". Ricky had amassed quite a reputation for himself for his extracurricular activities, and prided himself on being "London's Most Wanted". The truth behind this accolade was slightly less impressive however, for Ricky was London's most wanted in terms of unpaid parking tickets. In 2006, Ricky and the Preachers were investigating a string of mysterious abductions that had been targeting the homeless communities in the areas near Battersea. Their efforts led them to Cybus Industries whose founder, John Lumic, was taking the city's homeless and converting them into cybernetic foot soldiers called Cybermen. Ricky and the group also divined that Lumic was brainwashing other Londoners by way of ear pods that automatically linked them to the CybusNet. It was at this time that Ricky encountered his parallel counterpart, Mickey Smith. The Preachers captured Mickey and interrogated him at length at their headquarters (which was a kitchen). At first they believed that Mickey may have been some long lost twin, but after encountering the time-traveling Doctor and his companion, Rose Tyler, they learned that Mickey was from a parallel world. Doctor Who: Rise of the Cybermen The Doctor, Rose, Mickey and Rose's father from that reality, Pete Tyler, joined forces with the Preachers to take down Cybus Industries. Lumic had his Cybermen raid the home of Pete's wife, Jackie Tyler, and he also culled new cyber-agents by commanding them to the processing plant by way of the CybusNet. During the ensuing battle, Mickey and Ricky were fleeing from some Cybermen. They tried to scale a chain-link fence, but only Mickey was able to get over it in time. Ricky was killed when a Cyberman grabbed him and electrocuted him to death. In his memory, Mickey Smith elected to stay behind in that reality and continue Ricky's work in fighting the forces of Cybus Industries. Doctor Who: The Age of Steel Jake Simmonds Jake Simmonds was a freedom fighter and colleague and right-hand man of Ricky Smith. He was the first to find Mickey Smith, mistaking him for Ricky until they returned to their group's headquarters (a kitchen) and found the real Ricky Smith. Jake interrogated Mickey at length, but came to learn that Mickey was the same person as Ricky Smith, only from a parallel reality. Not really quite sure what to make of Mickey, Jake continued to work towards exposing the truth behind a string of abductions amongst the homeless community. Jake was present when Ricky, Mickey and Mrs. Moore arrived to help the Doctor, Rose Tyler and Pete Tyler fend off a horde of Cybermen that had raided the mansion estate of Pete and Jackie Tyler. Seeing the value in the Doctor and his associates, Jake agreed to work with them to bring down Cybus Industries, which was responsible for the creation of the Cybermen. When Ricky Smith was killed by a Cyberman, Jake continued to work alongside Mickey. He assisted him in getting to the transmission station inside of a zeppelin stationed on the roof of Cybus' conversion processing plant in Battersea. While Mickey busied himself with trying to decrypt the computer codes they needed in order to hack into the Cybermen's emotional inhibitors, Jake guarded the room, fighting off incoming drones. After the facility was destroyed, Jake and Mickey decided to continue their ongoing efforts to stop Cybus Industries together. Their next stop was Paris, France. Angela Price Angela Price once had a husband and child before joining up with the Preachers. To keep them safe, she changed her name and took on the alias of Mrs. Moore. Angela was the one who presented the idea of using fake CybusNet ear pods so that they masquerade as being "plugged in" without being detected. She accompanied the Doctor into the bowels of the Cybus Industries processing plant, but was killed by electrocution from an attacking Cyberman. Mickey Smith The TARDIS suffered an unexpected breakdown and ejected from the time vortex into modern day London of a parallel world. The Doctor tried to explain the situation to him, which Ricky readily understood, having been well-versed in classic sci-fi tropes. Knowing that the Doctor was going to be preoccupied looking after Rose, Mickey decided to explore this alternate world on his own. He discovered to his shock and elation that his grandmother Rita-Anne Smith, was still alive in this reality, whereas in his normal timeline she died sometime around 2001. Despite the Doctor's warnings against encountering people that he would otherwise know, Mickey went to her home. Rita-Anne recognized him, but not as Mickey, but rather, her grandson Ricky. Mickey promised Rita-Anne that he would repair the torn carpet on the staircase, which he knew would ultimately cause the accident that would lead to her death. While exploring London, Mickey encountered a young man named Jake Simmonds. Jake recognized him on sight, but did not realize that this was not actually the man he knew. He referred to him as Ricky and brought him back to kitchen apartment where they were both shocked to find the real Ricky Smith. Mickey learned that Ricky and Jake, as well as another person named Mrs. Moore, were part of a freedom fighter group known as the Preachers. Their purpose was to expose the lies of corruption that had overwhelmed corporate Britain. After a fairly intense interrogation, Ricky eventually came to know the truth about Mickey and where he actually came from. When Cybus Industries began converting scores of people into brainwashed Cybermen, Mickey joined the group to help stop them. They were also assisted by the Doctor, Rose Tyler and Rose's father from that world, Pete Tyler. During a raid on the Cybus Industries processing plant in Battersea, Ricky was killed and Mickey had to carry on his place. While the Doctor, Rose and Pete Tyler tried to stop Cybus Industries founder John Lumic (who had undergone forced conversion by this point and was now the Cyber-Controller), Mickey and Jake went to the transmission tower, which was housed inside of a zeppelin stationed on the roof of the plant. The Doctor had deduced that if they could find a way to destroy the transmitter control, it would negate the effects of the Cybermen's emotional inhibitors. Mickey and Jake found the control, but were unable to access it, until a Cyberman attacked him. Mickey evaded the blow and the Cyberman's electric discharge blew off the steel plate guarding the control panel. Mickey then decrypted the computer code and sent it to Rose's cell phone, where it was then broadcast across the entire cyber-network. Cursed with having the capacity to feel emotion once again, the Cybermen in the facility went insane and began destroying the plant. Everyone grouped together on the zeppelin and thanks to Mickey's PlayStation-derived piloting skills, they were able to escape. After everything settled down, the Doctor and Rose finished repairs on the TARDIS and prepared to return to their own world. Mickey however, elected to stay behind, feeling as if he had found a true purpose in his life. Along with Jake - the only other surviving member of the Preachers, Ricky set out to continue the fight against Cybus Industries - one Cyberman at a time. See also References